This invention pertains to an annular seal and more particularly to an annular seal utilized to seal a large annular space.
Seals for sealing the annular space between a missile and a launch tube during a cold launch must form a tight seal and withstand the pressure during the launching process and exert low mechanical forces on the missile when it is being loaded in the launch tube. If the launch tube is mounted on a ship or other vehicle the seal must also withstand the lateral motion caused by shock or the pitch and roll of the vehicle without exerting large mechanical forces on the missile.